Gen III (2010+) Prius Owner Videos

And another...


Prius - Suburb Drive 2

5 days later, the unseasonably warm weather was just a memory. The temperature dropped from 55°F to 18°F, giving me the first opportunity to find out what happens with my video setup when the defroster is required. I drove the same route, but with even worse lighting conditions this time. What was captured turned out great. But even better, the real-world data itself revealed nearly identical efficiency... despite it being so much colder.
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Then it snowed...


Prius - Snowy Suburb

The first snow of the year fell 2 days later. That meant driving the same route, yet again. This time though, I had a wet windshield to deal with, the flakes were still falling, it was quickly getting dark, and rough road surface presented a new source of vibration to deal with. Talking about a challenge... not to mention the driving itself. Watch the road as I near the water tower. It's shining, glazed ice. All worked out well... even the resulting efficiency. 51.9 MPG from 15.6 miles of real-world Prius driving in Minnesota.
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Still more...


Prius - Winter Afternoon

The next day, the sun came out and all the fresh snow began to melt. It was a very good representation of Spring here, making it a excellent example of what I'll be comparing to when I get my plug-in Prius early next year. The end result after 17.8 miles was 52.2 MPG. I certainly have nothing to complain about from efficiency like that.... hardly representative of the Winter driving I experience routinely in Minnesota though... but probably familiar to those not living as far north.
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I don't actually have much to say. It's me doing the "just drive it" technique. There's no real attempt to do anything special. You develop a heightened awareness and respond after awhile without any thought.

Once I get the plug-in, there will likely be some moments I'll want to point out using YouTube's caption feature.

No changes, it's the same all-season tires all year long.
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I was really looking forward to capturing this particular experience on video and was quite thrilled that I had figured out how to present the real-world data in an entirely new way... with a ScanGauge.


Extreme Cold Commute

-9°F meant having the defroster (both Heater & A/C) blasting to keep the windshield clear. I frosted it up quite a bit while setting up the cameras with the system still off. After about 4 minutes of engine warm-up, I set out on my commute to work. It was a great example of what we routinely encounter during January, here in Minnesota. At the end of the video, you'll see an efficiency summary of drive, including the warm-up. 47.4 MPG is certainly nothing to complain about considering the extreme cold. And yes, the lower-grille of the Prius was blocked entirely.
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Actually, I hit 80 MPH, but the timelapse is too fast for that to be seen.

Interestingly, today we're getting some really nasty snow... the stuff that's great for skiing. Needless to say, speed was dramatically slower on today's commute.
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3°F with everything tinted orange as the sun approached the horizon.

Who could resist such an opportunity?


Work To Lake

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Mi_PVInjjE"]Prius - Work To Lake - YouTube[/ame]


Winter is the opposite extreme from when I normally experience this particular drive. But I wanted to capture it on video, before upgrading to a Prius PHV. So, why not record when it's only 3°F degrees while the sun is setting?

The purpose for driving to that lake from work in the summer is to meet Mom to walk the dog there. It's a great location for that. With the temperature warm then and still hours of sun remaining, I'll typically pick up something fresh near by to grill afterward. It works really out well.

But in this case, you get to see a typical snowless Minnesota commute in the middle of January. Notice all the steam from the vehicle tailpipes. You don't get that from a Prius once warmed up, indicated by 114°fWT on the aftermarket gauge in the video. In fact, near the end, you can see me driving around the lake without the engine on. That's shown as 0 RPM ...and obviously, 9999 MPG.
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You better believe it. There's no way to keep the windshield clear for filming when the temperture outside is only 3°F.
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Here's another featuring ScanGauge data...


Winter Afternoon Gauge

With the possibility of both freshly fallen snow and cold temperatures becoming much less likely, along with this being my final winter with the 2010 Prius (I have a Prius PHV ordered), there was an urgency to capture this particular drive while filming the ScanGauge. This is the same route I have several other HD videos of when it was much, much warmer out. It was fun enjoying the scenery while documenting details not commonly known, specifically engine RPM and coolant temperature. Hope you find it informative.
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Since there isn't a thread devoted to previous generation videos and this particular one is informative to Gen III owners as a basis of comparison anyway, here you go...


Prius (Iconic) - Long Drive

This video is from back when I owned a 2004 Prius, now referred to as the Iconic model.

August 27, 2005 seems so long ago. Yet, the memory of filming it is still quite vivid. I committed to a long weekend. 3 attempts on 2 different days, the effort paid off. I wanted to capture video of the Multi-Display in action, a very long & detailed sampling of what owners will actually witness while driving their own Prius.

That required a well thought out way of securing both a tripod and the camera itself. I ended up with a net of rope & string pulling in various directions to keep everything suspended tightly. It worked surprisingly well too, greatly reducing bumps while I drove. Remind yourself how large & heavy the equipment was back then. Heck, just the battery alone weighed more than an entire camera does now.

The video is was originally 54 minutes. Playback speed was increased by a factor of 5, so it becomes less than 11 minutes. That way you can still see all the action without in getting too long.

I started from my house with a cold engine, drove through the suburbs, then followed a 55 MPH highway for a couple of miles. I switch to a quiet paved country road, where there was ample opportunity to drive a variety of speeds less than 45 MPH. I later get back onto that 55 MPH highway, then take an an uphill ramp onto a 65 MPH highway. I even briefly stopped to verify all is still well with the camera. So, there's quite a bit to observe.

Throughout the video, you'll see the Multi-Display being switched between the two common modes. On "Energy Monitor", watch the many flows of energy. Pay close attention to how frequently the flow changes and to how often electricity is sent to the battery-pack. On "Consumption", notice how the MPG regularly fluctuates when the engine is running. When only electricity is being used for propulsion, observe how it influences overall efficiency.

Adding significantly to the value of what's shown on the Multi-Display is the Speedometer. Knowing the speed Prius is traveling is a very important part of understanding how the hybrid system works. It takes advantage of many brief opportunities to save gas while at the same time not allowing the charge-level of the battery-pack to drop much below the middle (to ensure maximum life).
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The scangauge has paid for itself several times now. I've used it at least 6 different occasions helping friends & family with engine-light concerns. Being able to read & reset codes is very handy.

As for me, the coolant-temp is priceless. It tells me how much heat is available and when. In Minnesota, that's nice for keeping toasty warm efficiency. Then of course, there's knowing when EV is available. Without a °F value, it's just guessing. You know precisely with the gauge.

And when it comes to MPG, the value provided by Prius only goes up to 100. That doesn't tell the whole story of efficiency. You need something that goes up to at least 300 for a true understanding of how well thought out the hybrid system is.

I'm slowly converting those old analog moments. Sadly, some has actually been lost in the massive amount of material I was trying to manage back then... on VHS... then on ZIP disks... then CD... then DVD... now BD... plus doing the hard-drive & flash-memory shuffle. Whoa! It has been quite a journey.
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July 20, 2003. Remember what Prius was like way back then? Here's another video for comparison infomation:


Prius (Classic) - Multi-Display

This very long sequence showing energy flows on the Multi-Display from all those years ago with the Classic model is my pride & joy. Lighting was perfect (it was moments before sunset on a warm Summer day). The Prius had a long, straight, flat, desolate country road to play on. My friend and I setup the camera and let it run. All one take. It came out perfect. We were able to capture quite a variety of conditions, each very easy to observe. Watch all the details closely. The length of the footage helps to explain what you'd actually encounter in real-world cruising on streets at 30 to 45 MPH with moderate amounts of traffic. You'll see the energy-flow change frequently based on the speed and charge-level.
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Here it is:


Quick Intro

June 16, 2003.

I still remember filming this, all those years ago. It was recorded onto tape, which by today's standards would be a bulky camera. Editing footage on the computer afterward certainly was a crude in comparison as well. Time sure has flown by since then. Meanwhile, technology has continued to improve... including Prius... which became bigger, more powerful, and more efficient. Very soon, it will offer a plug too.

As for the video itself, I wanted a single take a simple approach. So, I just pressed the button, then starting talking & walking. It turned out pretty well. Looking back at that history brings back good memories.
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